Review

The Mainspring of Human Progress

This short and entertaining book makes a convincing case for a crucial principle: economic prosperity is possible only when men are free.

Weaver argues that "mass production rests on the foundation of another greater invention . . . the principle of individual liberty and freedom, the principle that each person controls his own life-energy and is responsible for his own acts."

Weaver presents a streamlined history of mankind, replete with enlightening stories, to illustrate and validate his thesis. One of the most interesting eras discussed is that of the Saracen empire during the 800 years of Europe's Dark Ages. Weaver offers a fascinating analysis, in which he attributes the Saracens' success in trade, science and culture to their relative freedom (and to their fundamental belief that man's destiny was within his control). The Saracens, he shows, significantly influenced Europe as it moved toward the Renaissance.

Almost half the book is devoted to the United States. When covering Colonial times, Weaver ably contrasts the failure of central planning in the Carolinas and Georgia, with the success of those colonies in which men were left free. In examining the unprecedented success of post-Revolution America, the author presents the impressive stories of the inventors and entrepreneurs who brought prosperity to the young nation. All this success, he maintains, was the product of individual liberty: "Free minds are inventive minds. That is why America has always been a land of inventors."

Unfortunately, Weaver does undercut his case somewhat by his belief that religion, not rationality, is the source of political and economic freedom. In spite of this, however, the wealth of information and the persuasive arguments in this book will contribute significantly to your understanding of the vital relationship between freedom and human prosperity.

(253 pages)

This review is courtesy of and copyright © by the Ayn Rand Bookstore.

Books

• The Mainspring of Human Progress by Henry Grady Weaver.